Orthodox vs CTC tea manufacturing: roller cell maceration and theaflavin development?
3 Answers from travellers
The physical transformation in orthodox black tea manufacture centers on rolling tables (Jackson or open-cone rollers). Withered green leaf is subjected to eccentric circular shearing under an adjustable pressure cap over battened brass table surfaces. The gentle compressive twisting ruptures plant cell vacuoles, smearing polyphenols and polyphenol oxidase enzymes across leaf surfaces without tearing the leaf skeleton apart. In contrast, CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) processing uses counter-rotating toothed steel cylinders that shred whole leaves into homogeneous granules. Orthodox rolling produces whole, twisted leaf grades with nuanced aromatic character.
Rolling duration is split into three 30-minute cycles; leaf is passed through rotary roll-breakers (sieves) between cycles to cool dhool and extract fine particles.
Enzymatic oxidation initiated during rolling pairs catechins into theaflavins (golden briskness) and thearubigins (depth and body) on fermentation beds.
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